1 pint 6 fl oz brown glass bottle with branded pressure cap acquired for $8.99 at the Cap N Cork in Los Feliz. 5.7% ABV according to my bottle. Label is blue and clearly identifies it as a collaboration with St Feuillien. Reviewed live. Expections are low given the current ratings and the brewery in combination with the style (is Green Flash capable of executing a black saison? I highly doubt it.) Brewed and bottled by Green Flash.

Served straight from the fridge and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

Not paired with food.

A: Shocked at the seeming overcarbonation as I poured. Pours a seven finger head of surprisingly appealing tan colour, great smooth cream, fantastic thickness, and excellent (~10+ minute) retention. The head just sits there; it's not receding at all. Body colour is a solid nontransparent black. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Opaque. Fair lacing as the head slowly slowly recedes. Quite foamy. It certainly looks overcarbonated. In any case, I'm excited to try it.

T: Okay. Hm. Dominant mint, light fennel/anise/licorice. Light pumpkin gourd. Crappy cola notes. A bit medicinal, but in the best way possible - if that makes any sense. No bretts or yeast come through. No leather either. Lightly soapy hops. I expected this to be awful given current ratings; that isn't the case. Though it's not good. It's certainly not balanced well; this is a real mess. Buried roasted barley. Dark malts. Earthy character - which isn't doing it any favors. Lacks subtlety and balance. Underwhelmingly executed, but I don't know that it's bad. Certainly unfocused, but I like the ambition and experimentation. There are many beers that fail because they simply don't try; this one really goes for it - and fails spectacularly. I think there's respectability in that. I wouldn't say that I like it, per se, but it's not the crapfest current ratings (76) suggest.

Dr: Drinkable. Not stellar, not awful, but drinkable. People are being a bit harsh on it, methinks. It's not a great Black Saison - or even a good one. But it's not awful, either. I always applaud experimentation. This is one effort that seems to suffer from its nature as a collaboration beer; I can't help but think that it'd have turned out far better if St Feuillien had brewed it alone. In any case, I won't be buying it again - especially at its high price point. As a saison fan, I don't think much of this offering - but I appreciate what they were going for. The elements here just really don't mesh. Also, why is the ABV so low?

Overall, blah... Not a fan at all, I finished this but certainly didn't enjoy it. Worst beer I've had from Green Flash by far. Looking back, I think my review was kind, because this wasn't a good beer at all.